Sailing at 60 mph

Jay's Post: After returning from Copper Canyon we began preparing “Little Lara” to be transported to Houston, Texas. This was no simple task; a long and tedious process which took place over several days. It included stowing all loose items found in the cabin, cleaning out all the lockers, emptying the water tank, stowing the outboard motor and solar panel, removing the sails and dodger, hauling the boat, un-stepping the mast, loading the boat on a trailer, and taping and tying down all the lines and standing rigging.

We contracted with Brad Smith to transport “Little Lara” on his trailer from Mexico to Houston. He

Little Lara on Crane

arrived at Marina San Carlos promptly at 8:00 am April 23, 2015. “Little Lara” was waiting along side the dock to be "craned out" of the water. A very unnerving process given we have always used a travel lift for haulouts in the past. But, all went well and soon “Little Lara” was sitting safe and secure on Brad's forty-foot, custom designed trailer. He then drove her to Marina Seca, which is approximately two miles away, to have the boat bottom pressure washed and the mast un-stepped. Brad was nervous with this part of the process. Later he explained he had never before driven down any road hauling a boat with its mast up – think -- trees, power lines, bridges. Yikes!

Little Lara secure on the trailer

By twelve noon the mast was down, everything was strapped down and we were on our way. Brad was kind enough to let us ride along with him. We drove north from San Carlos on Mexico Highway 15 to the US boarder then east into Houston on Interstate 10. The entire trip was 1,358 miles, taking less than two days. Average speed: 60 mph. Along the way we were waved through the Mexican checkpoints and cleared US Customs without being boarded. The Department of Agriculture wanted to inspect the boat for plans and animals, but also eventually waved us on when they learned we did not have a ladder to climb up into the boat. The first night was spent in Las Cruses, New Mexico in a WalMart parking lot (where we bought a ladder). The second day we arrived just before midnight in Sea Brook, Texas at Clear Lake Marine Center. Both nights Peggy and I slept aboard “Little Lara” squeezed in between sail bags and boat cushions.

“Little Lara” was scheduled to be lifted back into the water, by travel lift, at 8:00 am – 24 hours after

Little Lara on Travel Lift

she was first craned onto the trailer. Unfortunately, this process did not go as smoothly as it did in Mexico. Because of a double booking by the marina, the boat was not taken off the trailer until three hours later. This extra time, however, was spent replacing zincs, removing mast tie downs and cleaning the waterline. Fortunately, we found no significant scratches, chafe or wear on “Little Lara”. Because of weather (rain, thunder, lighting), we decided to wait another day to re-step the mast. This additional day gave us an opportunity to replace the Windex (wind instrument on top of the mast which was damaged when it was removed) and closely inspect all of the mast fittings and rigging.

Re-stepping the mast the next day proved to be a bigger challenge than we had anticipated. When the mast was lowered in Mexico, the yard workers were anxious to help us in every way possible. When it came to re-stepping the mast, Clear Lake Marine Center offer no help, telling us we were on our own. They would only provide the crane operator. We did receive lots of criticism and much advise on who to hire for help. Fortunately, a local British boat owner was kind enough to lend a helping hand. A much appreciated thanks goes to Martin for going above and beyond the call of duty! Plus, he refused to accept any form of compensation.  I wish more Americans were as kind and as generous as the Mexicans and British!

Bayland Marina

Once the mast was up and the rigging was tuned, we motored sailed up the Houston Ship Channel to Baytown, Texas. There we took a slip at Bayland Marina. A few days were spent cleaning-up and re-stowing equipment. The folks at Bayland Marina proved to be exceptional. They welcomed us with open arms offering us rides, cars, tools and meals. A special thanks also is extended to all the tenants on Dock “C” who were so kind to us, and agreed to watch “Little Lara” while we are away visiting family.

Peggy's Post: Over the past nine months, we have made many wonderful friends while sailing down the California coast and up through the Sea of Cortez. It has been a grand adventure! And, though it would be impossible to name everyone we met, a few boats we are inclined to mention include:

Philomena

Adeux

Windswept

Family Circus

Kokomo

Three Hands

Tarves (Magic Lady)

Shirley Rose

Solera

Let It Be

Sea Dancer

Candenza

Casa Mar

Time Piece

Willful Simplicity

Eagle

La Buena Vida

Fifth Season

Martha

Valpariso

Niele

Pegasus

Touchstone

Puna

Sparx

Goslin

True Love

Reverence

Hasta La Huego

Dream Catcher

Content

Que Linda!

Sephra Lynn

Companera

Wiz

El Peregrino (Dana #124)

So where will our adventures take us next? We are not sure, but we are hoping to sail around the Gulf of Mexico and up the eastern seaboard later this fall. Peggy wants to cruise the Bahamas. So, stay tuned to see where we eventually end up. Until then, fair winds and favorable seas.

A Vacation from A Vacation

We left Santa Rosalia at midnight April 6, 2015 to cross the Sea of Cortez, a 70 mile journey that took us 13 1/2 hours. The passage was uneventful with no high winds and fairly flat seas. Just the way Peggy likes it! After anchoring at several beautiful beaches and snorkeling on many of those days, which we enjoyed immensely, we arrived at the marina in San Carlos. It was now decision time: do we continue sailing the Sea of Cortez next fall or do we return home? In 2001 we sailed up the United Stares eastern seaboard and over to the Bahamas with four of our six children. We have many fond memories of this trip, which was cut short by 9/11. Peggy always wanted to complete the trip so she convinced Jay to transport “Little Lara” to Houston, rather than San Francisco. After arranging to haul the boat and load it on a trailer for Clear Lake, Texas we thought it was time to take a vacation from our vacation. We decided to see Copper Canyon, Mexico.

Copper Canyon

It was a long but very worthwhile journey. We traveled by city bus, tour bus and train. We reached the heart of the Tarahumara Mountains in the northeast corner of Chihuahua state and found ourselves standing atop the majestic heights known as Las Barrancas del Cobre (Copper Canyon), a name that derives from the stunning greenish copper hue of the canyon walls. Spanning a total length of 37,000 miles, these canyons are longer and deeper than the Grand Canyon in Arizona. Their mighty walls conceal remarkable legends, traditions and surprises. We had heard many wonderful stories about Copper Canyon from other cruisers, but Jay was interested in this trip for another two reasons: (1) His Grandparents made this same trip in the late sixties and always spoke of their fond memories of visiting with friends as they rode the newly constructed railroad, while viewing the magnificent canyons below and (2) His Dad always spoke of his desire to take an extended cross-continental train journey.

Chepe Train Route

The train runs between Chihuahua and Los Mochis passing through tunnels and traversing the mighty Sierra Mountain Range. The Chihuahua al Pacifico (Chepe for short) took about 90 years to complete. Opened in 1961, the route is 390 miles long and crosses 39 bridges and 86 tunnels. The scenery along the winding 14-hour journey is nothing short of breathtaking. The train offered comfortable seats, a full service dining area with fast food options, air conditioning, heating and restrooms.

Chepe Train

The vast and colorful biodiversity we encounter in this legendary part of Mexico is ideal for nature lovers and eco-tourists. We marveled at the forests and lakes, enjoyed the wild life, and admired the contrasting vegetation along the way. The climate along the route varies depending on the time of year, ranging from arid and desert-like to lush and tropical. For us, the weather was perfect: warm days and cool nights. The ever-changing hues and shapes of mountain range seem to melt into the horizon.

Tarahumara Indian

One surprise for us was the vibrant community of the Tarahumara Indians. These indigenous people have made the canyons their home for centuries and their lives are intertwined with these mountains and canyons. Living in this remote region, their way of life has largely been preserved since the times of the Spaniards. The Spanish arrived in the Copper Canyon area in the 17th century where they encountered the local indigenous people. For the Spanish, Mexico was a new land to explore for gold and silver, and to spread Christianity. The Spanish named the people they encountered "Tarahumara", derived from the word Raramuri, which is what these indigenous people call themselves. Scholars theorize that this word may mean “running people”. To this day these people are famous for their endurance in long-distance running. They are known to travel long vertical distances, often running nonstop for hours.  We fell in love with the Tarahumara people.  We found them to be friendly, courteous, industrious and shy.  Very, very shy!  When we offered to shake their hand, for example, they would smilingly only brush our hand oh so slightly.  This was true even of the children.  During our trip, we stayed in rural “casitas” and nice luxury hotels. Very different from the log cabins and cave homes of the Tarahumaras we visited, where we learned first hand about their customs and traditions.

Typical Tarahumara Home

Tarahumara Kitchen

Basaseachi Waterfalls

One of our favorite attractions at Copper Canyon was the “seven zip-lines” where we traveled up to 1400 feet over 8,350 foot canyon gorges and reached speeds up to 65 miles an hour. Another was the awe-inspiring Basaseachi Waterfalls on the Basaseachi River, the second-highest waterfall in Mexico at a staggering 807 feet tall. We attended church in El Fuerte where there is a Branch. There we met the District President, Branch President, many Church members and several sets of missionaries. El Fuerte was one of our favorite cities that we visited. It is the home of "Zoro"!

The Legendary "Zoro"!

El Fuerte was founded in 1563 by the Spanish Conquistador Francisco de Ibarra, the first explorer to come to this area. In 1610 a fort was built to ward off the fierce Zuaque and Tehueco Indians, who constantly harassed the Spaniards. For years, El Fuerte served as the gateway to the vast frontiers of the northern territories of Sonora, Arizona and California. For nearly three centuries it was the most important commercial and agricultural center of the vast northwestern region of Mexico. El Fuerte was a chief trading post for both silver miners and gold seekers. In 1824, it became the capital of the newly created Mexican state of Sinaloa, which reached into modern-day Arizona. In 2009 it was named by the Mexican government as one of ten “Magical Towns” because of the fort, old style architecture and beautiful down town plaza.

Reluctantly, we found ourselves returning to San Carlos so we could prepare “Little Lara” to be transported. To return San Carlos we had to take four buses – a school bus, a city bus and two tour buses. Needless to say, Peggy and I were very nervous about about our return trip with our limited knowledge of Spanish, knowing that some of the bus drivers would drop us off on the side of the road so we could catch the next bus. The return trip turned out to be uneventful, however, as we got off one bus only to get on the next one withing minutes. Then came the hard part, preparing “Little Lara” to be transported to Houston, Texas, but that is another story.

Jay Zip Lining

Peggy Zip Lining